Day Six - Sunday Accra Travels

Today is Sunday and we headed over to the school at 9:15. Madame Fousty was making a dish called banku; it’s cassava and maise cooked over coals and stirred nonstop until it’s thick, almost like a dense paste. You pull pieces from a ball of the banku and use it to spoon up a stew. Mme Fausty made okra stew and mackerel stew with green peppers.

Very tasty although the banku has a strong fermented flavor that takes some getting used to. We had a very interesting conversation about the political system in Ghana and the history of President Nkrumah, his regime, etc.

At around 11:00 we headed out for Accra. Madam Fausty was beautiful in her traditional dress.

We drove around the city and took in several sites. We went to the university first. The statues below are in the Akuafo Hall – Akuafo means farmer and this part of the university is the school of agriculture.

We also went to the memorial park where the tombs of President Nkrumah and his wife are located. It’s a very peaceful location. There were at least two wedding parties taking pictures there. The entrance fee was $2.00cedi for Ghanaians and $6.00 cedi for non-Ghanaians. We paid the tourist tax today! We also went into the museum there; there were many pictures of Nkrumah and the many international heads of state he met and worked with throughout his regime. Many of the pictures referred to him as Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah. Osagyefo essentially means, “esteemed leader” and is a term of respect.

At the Memorial Park

This statue shows a man beating on the “talking drum” from the southern region of Ghana. Originally it was used to call warriors together for battle but now it’s used call people together as a community.

All around the park were some young trees that were planted at the 2007, 50 year independence jubilee. Many international leaders and representatives came (Jesse Jackson was among them) and planted a tree to mark the occasion. This is Mugabe’s tree. You’ll notice how small and undergrown it is for a three year old tree. Charles said just like Mugabe’s government, the thing can’t grow. Charles is funny and incredibly astute.

We went down to the coast and saw some of the old colonial buildings, two old forts that are now used as prisons and a light house that was used to guide the slave ships into port.

Charles took us by the teaching hospital but his opinion of it was pretty grim. Apparently the place has a reputation for terrible care. The doctors all have their own clinics and the nurses are underpaid and inattentive. Charles said people consider this the worst place to go when you’re sick because you know you’ll die there. What a reputation for a hospital to have! This statue is in honor of the man who built the original building you can see on the right.

As we headed out of town we passed an enormous “slum,” as Charles referred to it. It was huge and is apparently riddled with crime, drugs and exceptional poverty. A UN project nearby intended to extend the “pond” to allow access for ships closer to the market in the city is on hold because of the slum but there is little movement on the part of the government because of the number of voters living in the slum.

This is the President Atta-Mills house.

On our way out of town we stopped for a mineral water (meaning a soda) and meat pies. The crust was flaky and buttery and the meat was seasoned with a mild curry. Delicious!

Another great day in Ghana.